“Success isn’t about how your life looks to others; it’s about how it feels to you. We realized that being successful isn’t about being impressive, it’s about being inspired. That’s what it means to be true to yourself.” ” ~ Michelle Obama, in her Oregon State University commencement speech, 2012.

I re-learned that lesson yesterday, seeing my friends Jean and RC and their simple, busy, wholesome life and home in the wilds of the Rocky Mountains. Good, pure, fresh, home-cooked food. Love. Humor. A long walk with dogs. A soak in a cedar tub.

True happiness, if only for a long moment.

Someone may earn or have a lot of money, but if they are called all kinds of names or have a stressful life, from that point of view at the top of the Mountain of Success, they may finally understand that money and fame isn’t the source of wealth—community and health and appreciating daily life is.

~

When life is full of sadness and hurt and little playful joys and hard cold and loss and letting gos and who knows and overwhelms, we’re not always up to the task. When we’re out of our depth openness and sadness is the path of learning, not neurosis or blame.

When life is full of deep sadnesses among the many little joys, very few things a slice of loving fresh vegan galette and slow deep breaths and a good full sad song that echoes Scotland and dear longtime friends sharing their hard-earned wisdom and a steaming hot bath can’t begin to fix from the bottom, up.